Paralympics 2024 opening ceremony LIVE: Paris prepares for start of Games with athletes parade
The ceremony features athletes participating at the Games and is taking place in the heart of the French captial
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Your support makes all the difference.Paris is back in the spotlight this evening as the city hosts the opening ceremony of the Paralympics Games. Fresh off the heels of a blockbuster fortnight of Olympic action, the Paralympic athletes now take centre stage as they compete for medals, records and glory in front of huge crowds watching on around the globe.
The French captial is expected to be packed once again with up to 65,000 spectators expected to attend the first act of the Games which sees 4,400 athletes from 168 delegations parade down the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysees in the heart of Paris ahead of what is sure to be 11 days of intense competition.
The opening ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly has revealed the spectacle will “showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody”. He has promised “performances that have never been seen before” and claims that the show will “unite spectators and television audiences worldwide around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games”.
Follow all the latest updates from the Paralympics opening ceremony with our live blog below:
Paralympics opening ceremony
The rest of the ceremony will now take place at the Place de la Concorde. An very entertaining musical routine keeps the party atmosphere alive before the French national anthem is played.
In normal times, La Marseillaise is one of the outstanding anthems around. Now, with the eyes of the world on Paris, the performers slow down to beat as the French flag is raised into the air.
It’s a more emotional rendition.
Paralympics opening ceremony
Double Paralympic cycling champion Jaco van Gass is determined to secure more glory for Great Britain after revealing he wanted his adopted country to lose in Paris less than 12 months ago.
The former soldier, who was one of the breakout stars of Tokyo 2020, is competing in five events in the French capital, beginning on Friday with his defence of the C3 individual pursuit title.
“Honestly, when it comes to rugby, there’s only green and gold,” a smiling Van Gass told the PA news agency, “Any other sport, there might be split loyalties. But when it comes to rugby, I’m always a Boks supporter.”
Paralympics opening ceremony
The ‘my ability’ sequence begins with a film that gives a voice to people with disabilities.
It narrates their journeys from initial difficulty in accepting physical change and/or disability all the way through to their pride and new-found confidence in their bodies.
The VT displays the importance of reflection, adaptation, creativity and the support of others.
Paralympics opening ceremony
The next section is called ‘my ability’ and gives a voice to people who explain the successes they can have had despite regardless of the disabilities they live with.
Paralympics opening ceremony
The French team are still lapping and taking in the applause of the crowd. The next part of the ceremony has the more formal proceedings with the Paralympic flag and flames being brought out and speeches from the organisers.
In between each formality there’s more music, dancing and theatre.
Paralympics opening ceremony
Here’s a clip of the fly past earlier on. This was a moment that got all the onlookers excited:
Paralympics opening ceremony
The final three competing nations are Australia, who host the Games in 2023, the United States of America, the 2028 hosts, and of course France, the current hosts.
There’s a loud cheer as the French team head into the arena.
Paralympics opening ceremony
Kadeena Cox fell agonisingly short on the athletics track three years ago, finishing fourth in the 400m amid tendonitis in both heels and a battle with disordered eating.
“Tokyo is the one that haunts me still a little bit,” she said, “I know if I’d had a bit more time, I would have been able to do what I needed to.
“As much as I got two golds out there, I probably think more about the fact that I didn’t quite nail it in the athletics. It is that one that feels bitter-sweet. I was hoping to rectify that with this Games.
“I’m just a little bit of a fragile athlete. It is unfortunate but it’s the nature of the beast with doing a sport like athletics.”
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